Method of forming spectacle frames



June 4, 1935. A J W LF 2,003,846

METHOD OF FORMING SPEGTACLE FRAMES Filed March 17, 1953 Patented June 4,1935 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Arthur J. Wolff, Hartford, Conn. IApplication March 17, 1933, Serial No. 661,219

4 Claims.

My invention relates to that class of devices comprising lenses whichare located in the line of sight and which are supportedon the nose asan aid to vision, and an object of my invention, among others, is thenovel process of contrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figurel is a view illustrating incompletely and grossly the human eye and noseon a plane in horizontal section passing substantially centrally throughthe eye structure.

Figure 2 is a similar view but illustrating in front elevation thecorrect position of the spectacles and eye glasses with respect to theeyes.

Figure 3 is another similar view but on a sectional plane passingvertically through the center of the right eye.

Figure 4 is an illustrative in the process of tacles.

Figure 5 is a View in section on a plane denoted by the dotted line 55of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view in side elevation of a form produced from the castshown in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 7 is a bottom view of such form.

Figure 8 is a view in section showing the manner of use of the formillustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 in the production of a bridge for thespectacles.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Fig. l but illustrating a step in unitingthe bridge of the spectacles with the lens frames.

Figure 10 is a front view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the bridgejoined to the lens frames.

Figure 11 is a side view of the structure as shown in Fig. 10.

It is generally recognized by the profession that spectacles and eyeglasses should, at all times, be properly placed with respect to theeyes, not only to obtain the best results, but more materially to avoidinjury to the eyes. The correct position for the spectacles and eyeglasses is further generally recognized to be such that the center ofthe lenses shall be opposite the center of the eyes and this means thateach lens shall be at the same distance from the eyes as its companionlens and that a horizontal plane passing centrally through both eyesshall also pass centrally horizontally through the lenses. That is,

view showing a step producing my improved spec- (ol. ss 43) that thelenses shall not be tipped to one side or the other. When placed in thiscorrect position the lenses should also be located in a plane at rightangles to the horizontal plane passing centrally through the eyes bothvertically and 5 laterally with respect'to the eyes.

This correct position of the spectacles is diagrammatically featured inthe drawings herein, and especially in Figs. 1 to 3 in which the brokenlines aand b represent planes passing vertil0 cally through the centersof both eyes and in the direction of depth thereof, these planes beingparallel to each other and likewise parallel to a similar plane denotedby the broken line c passing substantially through the center of the 15nose. A plane represented by the broken line d passing horizontallycentrally through the eyes at right angles to the planes a, b, and edetermines the correct horizontal position of the lenses the centers ofwhich should plane. A plane denoted by the broken line e determines theproper distance for location of the lenses in front of and from theeyes, this plane being located at right angles to the plane d therebylocating the lenses at right angles to 5 such plane. 1 1

The foregoing description has reference to eyes of normal condition andconcerning which the planes ab passcentrally through the retina. l2,body filling l3, crystalline lenses l4, iris pupil I6 dividing such.parts into halves, and similarly the horizontal plane it passeshorizontally through said members of the eyes dividing them into halves.

The correct position of the lenses just explained having been determinedby methods Wellknown to those skilled in the art it becomes es-- sentialto so construct the frame for the lenses that the latter will always belocated in the positions denoted in the drawing whenever said lenses areplaced in position for vision, and my invention has to do principallywith this feature.

A notable and essential requirement is a bridge that will closely fitthe nose I I with its structure in repose, that is, without distortionof the flesh, skin or bone, as if these elements be distorted and out ofposition when the bridge is fitted, in order to thereafter correctlyposition the spectacles on the eyes, it will be necessary each time todistort the nose structure to the same extent as when the bridge wasfitted, and this is a practical impossibility.

I have therefore demonstrated that the bridge may be fitted to the nosewhile the elements composing its structure are in repose. In carrying bein this 20' I5 and 30 out my purpose I provide a. flask ll of a size tofit over the upper part of the nose II, and as shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawing. Any suitable material, as wax I8, that will become sufiicientlyrigid for the purpose is placed in the flask and the latter is thenapplied to the nose, thereby producing a mold in exact conformity to theshape of the nose, and as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. After the material l8has hardened or stiffened sufficiently the mold thus produced is filledwith any suitable material, as plaster of Paris, thereby producing aform or cast IQ of the exact shape of the nose in its natural conditionof repose, and as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

With this form in hand I now proceed to fit a bridge thereto by firstplacing a band 20 of wax or other material that may be readilydisintegrated over the form l9 and as shown in Fig. 8, this band beingof the precise shape andproportions of a metal band to be produced. The

form I9 is placed in another flask 2| and mold substance 22 of anysuitable material used in the preparation of molds is placed in theflask to completely cover the form l9 and the band 20, an opening 23providing a gate being left, as by means of a pin placed with its endagainst the wax band and the mold material being then filled in aroundthe pin, it being understood that the band of wax is placed on the formin the position to 'be occupied by the band of the spectacle frame whenin use for vision purposes. After the material 22 has been packed intothe mold and the pin removed the material, as wax, comprising the band20 is removed in any suitable manner, as by the application of heat tomelt the material composing the band, the melted material being causedto flow out through the gate 23. The mold is now ready for the making ofthe metal bridge which is accomplished as by introducing fused metal, asgold, through the gate 23 into the interior of the mold, and this may beaccomplished as by pouring the fused metal into the gate, or bycentrifugal force in a manner that will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art.

This bridge 24 is now permanently secured to clips 25 comprising a partof the spectacle frame in any suitable manner and in approximately theproper position, in which operation it will be understood that theframes for the lenses are properly placed and securely held at theproper interpupillary distance apart and as determined by theprescription furnished by the oculist, the form or cast Hi again beingmade use of by locating it in a fixed position between the frames, andwhile the parts are so held the ends of the bridge being permanentlysecured to the frames in any suitable manner. It will now be readilyunderstood that the lenses are properly positioned so that they willcorrectly fit the eyes in accordance with the oculists prescription andthereafter it will be found that the bridge, by

reason of its fit upon the nose in its natural condition, will alwaysrest in the same positions with the necessary result that the lenseswill always be properly located with respect to the eyes, and asillustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawing.

While there has been described herein the use of wax as a material forobtaining the preliminary form of the nose, it will be understood thatthis form may be secured by the use of any ordinary material in commonuse to obtain such results, and it will further be understood that thebridge need not necessarily be produced by the casting process as thecorrect shape of the bridge may be obtained by other methods of causingthe metal to conform to the shape of the mold.

I claim:

1. In the process of constructing spectacle frames, wherein the centersof lenses carried by the frames are in a plane coincident with a planethrough the centers of both eyes, and wherein the lenses are spacedapart so that the centers thereof will be the same as the interpupillarydistance between the eyes, the process consisting in producing a mold ofthe nose while in repose and undistorted, then conforming the bridge ofthe frame to the form of the mold and then securing the spectacle frameto said bridge.

2. In the process of constructing spectacle frames, wherein the centersof lenses carried by the frame are in a plane coincident with a planethrough the centers of both eyes, and wherein the lenses are spacedapart so that the centers thereof will be the same as the interpupillarydistance between the eyes, the process consisting in obtaining a mold ofthe nose while in repose and undistorted, producing a cast of the nosefrom said mold, then molding the bridge for the spectacle frame upon thecast and then securing the spectacle frames to said bridge.

3. The process for constructing spectacle frames that consists inobtaining a cast of the nose while in repose and undistorted, placing aband of disintegrating material of the same shape as the bridge of thespectacle frame on said cast, forming a mold over said cast and band,then removing the band, then filling the space occupied by the band withmaterial to produce a bridge, and then securing said bridge thusproduced to the spectacle frame.

7 4. The process for constructing spectacle frames that consists inobtaining a mold of the nose while in repose and undistorted, producinga cast of the nose from said mold, placing a band of disintegratingmaterial of the same shape as the bridge of the spectacle frame on saidcast, forming a mold over said cast and band, then melting the band andremoving it from the mold, then introducing fused material into themold, and then securing the bridge thus produced to the spectacleframes.

ARTHUR J. WOLFF.

